France to close schools for 3 weeks and extend partial lockdown across whole country
French President Emmanuel Macron announced during a live TV broadcast on Wednesday a three-week closure of the nation's schools in an attempt to halt soaring Covid case numbers, while the limited lockdown measures already in place in 19 départements will be extended to the whole country.
Daily Covid-19 cases in France have doubled to around 40,000 and hospitals in infection hotspots like Paris are overflowing, putting the government under intense pressure.
Macron said: "We’re in a race against time. The new variant of the virus known as the UK variant is more contagious but also more dangerous,” adding that patients in hospitals were getting younger.
"Intensive care units now have to take care of healthy people who are 60 or 50 years old, sometimes younger. Remember this figure - 44 percent of intensive care patients are younger than 65 years old.
“We therefore need to set new measures for the weeks to come. If we do nothing . . . we would place our country in a vulnerable situation."
However the president decided against a full, strict lockdown for the county instead deciding to extend the partial lockdown measures and close schools for three weeks, including two weeks of rescheduled holiday.
The "lockdown light" measures include the closure of non-essential shops and a ban on travel between regions. The 7pm-6am curfew also remains in place.
- There is no time limit on trips outside, as long as you are within 10km of your home
- Attestations (permission forms) are not required for any trip within 10km of home between 6am and 7pm
- Non-essential shops are shut, but the definition of essential has been expanded to include bookshops, music shops and hairdressers, in addition to the businesses which remained open during the November lockdown
- Travel to a different region is not allowed, except for essential or work-related trips. However the president added that: "Those who want to change regions for the lockdown period can do so over the Easter weekend".
- French people living abroad who want to return to France will also be able to do so at any time and "we will do everything to facilitate the daily lives of cross-border workers" said Macron
- The rules on travel into France from other countries stay the same - full details HERE
The rules will be the largely the same as those already in place for the 19 départements on 'lockdown light' - you can read the full rules HERE.
Meeting friends and family in private homes (within the 10km limit) was not explicitly forbidden, but Macron asked people to keep socialising to a minimum in order to limit the spread. Police will be stepping up checks on gatherings of more than six and of people drinking alcohol in public places.
These measures will come into force on the evening of Saturday, April 3rd and stay in force for four weeks, initially.
In addition, the nation's schools will be temporarily closed with a changed Easter holiday period and extra weeks of distance learning.
The school measures are as follows:
Monday, April 5th - School premises to close with a week of distance learning for infant, primary, secondary and high schools.
Monday, April 12th - The start of the two-week Easter holiday for all schools, across all areas (a change in holiday dates for most schools)
Monday, April 26th - Return of in-person infant and primary (maternelles and primaires) classes - secondary and high schools to continue with distance learning
Monday, May 3rd - secondary and high schools return to in-person classes
Parents who are unable to work while their children are out of school will qualify for temporary work furlough or financial aid.
READ ALSO What parents are entitled to if schools close
In addition to extra restrictions, France's intensive care bed capacity will be increased from 5,000 to 10,000 over the next few days, with medical students, volunteers and army medics brought in to help out the increasingly over-stretched hospitals.
Macron also laid out a revised vaccination schedule, reiterating that "by the end of the summer" every adult in France who wants a vaccine will be offered one.
The new dates for vaccinations are:
From April 16th all adults aged 60 and over can be vaccinated, not just people with underlying illness
From May 15th all adults aged 50 plus
From mid June everyone else will be eligible.
READ ALSO How to book an appointment for a Covid vaccine
The president also announced that from mid May, outdoor restaurant and café terraces and certain businesses could begin to gradually reopen.
"Thanks to the vaccine, the way out of the crisis is emerging," he said, adding that from mid-May some cultural venues and café terraces would reopen "under strict rules".
A calendar would be drawn up for a full reopening of sports, leisure, hospitality and cultural facilities, he added.
Macron also defended again his decision not to lock down in January, saying: "Many of our neighbours decided to lock down, like our German neighbours who have been locked down for four months. Our Italian friends are on their fourth lockdown," he said.
"With our collective choices we gained precious weeks of liberty, weeks of learning for our children, we allowed hundreds of thousands of workers to keep their head above water, without losing control of the epidemic," he argued.
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Daily Covid-19 cases in France have doubled to around 40,000 and hospitals in infection hotspots like Paris are overflowing, putting the government under intense pressure.
Macron said: "We’re in a race against time. The new variant of the virus known as the UK variant is more contagious but also more dangerous,” adding that patients in hospitals were getting younger.
"Intensive care units now have to take care of healthy people who are 60 or 50 years old, sometimes younger. Remember this figure - 44 percent of intensive care patients are younger than 65 years old.
“We therefore need to set new measures for the weeks to come. If we do nothing . . . we would place our country in a vulnerable situation."
However the president decided against a full, strict lockdown for the county instead deciding to extend the partial lockdown measures and close schools for three weeks, including two weeks of rescheduled holiday.
The "lockdown light" measures include the closure of non-essential shops and a ban on travel between regions. The 7pm-6am curfew also remains in place.
- There is no time limit on trips outside, as long as you are within 10km of your home
- Attestations (permission forms) are not required for any trip within 10km of home between 6am and 7pm
- Non-essential shops are shut, but the definition of essential has been expanded to include bookshops, music shops and hairdressers, in addition to the businesses which remained open during the November lockdown
- Travel to a different region is not allowed, except for essential or work-related trips. However the president added that: "Those who want to change regions for the lockdown period can do so over the Easter weekend".
- French people living abroad who want to return to France will also be able to do so at any time and "we will do everything to facilitate the daily lives of cross-border workers" said Macron
- The rules on travel into France from other countries stay the same - full details HERE
The rules will be the largely the same as those already in place for the 19 départements on 'lockdown light' - you can read the full rules HERE.
Meeting friends and family in private homes (within the 10km limit) was not explicitly forbidden, but Macron asked people to keep socialising to a minimum in order to limit the spread. Police will be stepping up checks on gatherings of more than six and of people drinking alcohol in public places.
These measures will come into force on the evening of Saturday, April 3rd and stay in force for four weeks, initially.
In addition, the nation's schools will be temporarily closed with a changed Easter holiday period and extra weeks of distance learning.
The school measures are as follows:
Monday, April 5th - School premises to close with a week of distance learning for infant, primary, secondary and high schools.
Monday, April 12th - The start of the two-week Easter holiday for all schools, across all areas (a change in holiday dates for most schools)
Monday, April 26th - Return of in-person infant and primary (maternelles and primaires) classes - secondary and high schools to continue with distance learning
Monday, May 3rd - secondary and high schools return to in-person classes
Parents who are unable to work while their children are out of school will qualify for temporary work furlough or financial aid.
READ ALSO What parents are entitled to if schools close
In addition to extra restrictions, France's intensive care bed capacity will be increased from 5,000 to 10,000 over the next few days, with medical students, volunteers and army medics brought in to help out the increasingly over-stretched hospitals.
Macron also laid out a revised vaccination schedule, reiterating that "by the end of the summer" every adult in France who wants a vaccine will be offered one.
The new dates for vaccinations are:
From April 16th all adults aged 60 and over can be vaccinated, not just people with underlying illness
From May 15th all adults aged 50 plus
From mid June everyone else will be eligible.
READ ALSO How to book an appointment for a Covid vaccine
The president also announced that from mid May, outdoor restaurant and café terraces and certain businesses could begin to gradually reopen.
"Thanks to the vaccine, the way out of the crisis is emerging," he said, adding that from mid-May some cultural venues and café terraces would reopen "under strict rules".
A calendar would be drawn up for a full reopening of sports, leisure, hospitality and cultural facilities, he added.
Macron also defended again his decision not to lock down in January, saying: "Many of our neighbours decided to lock down, like our German neighbours who have been locked down for four months. Our Italian friends are on their fourth lockdown," he said.
"With our collective choices we gained precious weeks of liberty, weeks of learning for our children, we allowed hundreds of thousands of workers to keep their head above water, without losing control of the epidemic," he argued.
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